Gas
Prices Expected to rise once again

Many people have noticed the
reasonably low gas prices recently. Many have even stated that it seems too
good to be true and with that being said there might be some truth to that.

When the prices first dropped
people went into shock that the prices are so low considering it used to be
almost 5 dollars a gallon. Filling up your tank with only 25 dollars felt like
hitting the jackpot.

Although we are still experiencing
the delight of gas only being 2 dollars, they are, once again, expected to
rise.

Fossil fuels and oils are becoming
more difficult to find resulting in another gas price spike.

Rising prices even affect some of
our students here at Riverview High School. With many eligible drivers they feel
upset about this soon-to-be rise in the prices.

“I hate how the prices just got
lower again and now they are already rising,” said Daria Salih ’16.

Hopefully in the near future the
prices will continue to fall once more.

Jan Davis says goodbye to RHS

Daniela Martinez '16

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

For years, Jan Davis has been Riverview's High School art teacher and sponsor for the National Art Honor Society, but now she says goodbye after years of dedication to our school.

Davis was destined to be an art teacher. While in high school at Riverview, she took every art class she could possibly take. She also studied and worked hard in all her other classes, which got her into USF later on.

“I decided to become a teacher when I was still in high school. I became a teacher in 1972. I loved the idea of showing students that they could be more than they could imagine without any kind of boundaries,” she said.

Davis was Riverview's High School teacher of the year 1993-94, she was also nominated for teacher of the county award later on. At one point in her career, she was the yearbook adviser.

She went on to become a National Board Certified Teacher.

Throughout the years she has gotten the love and devotion of her students. Because of her love for scuba diving, motorcycles, underwater photography and traveling, she looks forward to retirement at the end of this year to travel and hopefully get to go to Jerusalem along the way.

Rams’ Resolutions

Julie Lichterman ’15

STAFF WRITER

Americans watched as
two-thousand fourteen slipped between our tightly grasped hands last month and
turned into a new year with new promises. Many of these promises are ones
we’ve made for ourselves, but as it turns out, only 8% of Americans keep them,
traditionally speaking.

Most people make New
Year’s resolutions in an attempt of self-improvement, but it’s usually not long
thereafter that the realization of the goal sets in. A prime example of this
are the notorious weight loss goals. With the purchase of gym memberships and
fad diets, comes the actualization of being unable to maintain these goals.
However, while many Americans are struggling to keep up with their resolutions,
some Riverview students are keeping to their personal goals of
self-improvement.

With a month to prove his
case, Graham Bowman ’16 has kept to his New Year’s Resolution so far.

“I’ve been trying to
exercise more and eat healthier in order to improve my performance at rowing
practice.” When asked how he continues to stay motivated, Bowman replied,
“For this goal, I find it beneficial to keep a mindset of how I can be at my
healthiest, and all of the benefits this lifestyle will bring me in the long
run.”

Bowman is confident that he’ll
be able to maintain his goal throughout the year, and says, “I honestly feel so
much better since starting this goal, and it’s not something I will stop
anytime soon.”

On the other end of the
spectrum, Hannah Lucas ’18 has made a goal to improve scholastically through
keeping a 4.0 average, and staying organized in general.

“I was happy with my
grades before making the resolution, but the way I see it, there’s always room
for improvement.” Lucas is also incredibly optimistic towards being able to maintain
this goal throughout the year.

No matter the goal, or
the size, New Year’s Resolutions are certainly attainable with the right mental
attitude. Some helpful ways of maintaining goals may also be to make a tangible
representation (like a chart or graph) of ultimate goals, and what has been
accomplished thus far. Regardless of size, Riverview Rams are up for any
challenge, big or small.

New Year New Me

Natalie Raszka ’17

STAFF WRITER

The calendars have
been changed, resolutions have been made, and opinions are formed about the New
Year.

Many claim the year
of 2014 was a year of disappointment, and others didn’t want the year of 2015
to come. Many posts on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
had people saying “New Year new me” and “happy to see 2014 go,” the negative
said to this.

Others said, “2014
is going to be hard to beat” or “2014 was great,” the positive side to
this. Kiah Evans’17 said, “I’m happy to see last year go because I’m ready for
new beginnings.”

People look at the
New Year, as a new start for themselves, and others want to savor last year
because of all the good memories.

“I’m sad to see
last year go because I’ve made some great memories and made many new friends,”
said Antoine Sanchez ’17.

Even though the
year is changing the memories still continue.

“I already have a
whole bunch of new memories starting on New Years Eve with my friends,” said
Miles Hudson ’17.

Many people don’t
seem to realize a fresh start is a good thing, starting new memories with
family and friends in the year of 2015 is something that will forever be
remembered.

“Right after New Years day my family took a
vacation to New York and we made hands down the best memories we ever had, my
year started off right,” said Abby Kroneberger ’17.

Whether you want
the year to go or the year to stay, the same routine will fall into next year
around this time. Some will want the year of 2015 to stay others will want the
year of 2015 to go. Either way it falls, everyone should have a happy new year
and make the best they can of it.

Sarasota Christmas Parade Brings "White Christmas"

Kendall Braz '18

Kiah Evans '17

STAFF WRITERS

Every year in Sarasota Florida there is a huge Christmas parade held. Hundreds of people line up to get the best view of all the festivity. This year the theme was “A White Christmas.”

This parade is traditionally held on the first Sunday of December at 7 p.m. and has become one of the biggest and best parades along the Suncoast.

At these parades each year usually thousands of people participate, and this year, Riverview’s Kiah Evans ‘17 rode on one of the floats.

“I was on the Make-a-Wish float dressed up as an elf. I get to throw candy out to everyone in the crowd. I usually just watch it with my friends and family, but I was excited to be in it this year,” said Evans.

The best floats every year win a prize. They have to make sure that they stay to the theme of the parade though.

Some examples of the people in the parade included high school bands, dance teams, drill teams, clubs, businesses, and of course Santa. There are also some people who bring in things like horses to show people.

“I love the Christmas parade because it is a fun place to drink hot chocolate and watch people march. I go to it every year,” said Breanna Denny ’18.

“I love Christmas so much, and I especially love the Christmas parade. All of the floats have colorful lights, and people from the floats throw candy canes to people in the audience. It’s just a fun time for people to be with their friends and family,” said Natalie Raszka ’17.

Overall this is a great experience that you should definitely check out on your way into town.

Marine Science Interns Experience Career Path

Elysa Cardamone '18

Adriana Fernandez '15

Donal Rateau '18

STAFF WRITERS

The many exciting experiments of Marine Science Club at Riverview allow students to feel the reality of a marine biologist and experience the marine life.

Part of the Marine Science Club is having interns that teach others about the fun in marine life and realizing the opportunities there are by taking this career path.

Many interns take part in these opportunities and have a particular interest for interactions with the environment. There many specializations of this career path include working with a particular species, organism, behavior, technique or ecosystem.

“My favorite part about being an intern is that I am able to teach little kids about aquatic life during the tours,” intern Molly Valtz ’15 said.

There are many children who love the presence of aquatic animals and love having someone there to work with them.

Sponsor Katrin Rudge says the tours and touch-tank programs make excellent training grounds for these interns.

“We have an aqua dome where we keep multiple aquariums and other aquatic animals, and we have tours that are led by our interns for the Stars for Starfish program,” she said.

The Stars for Starfish program is where our aqua dome provides many aquariums that allow students to have hands on experience with life science.

Probably the topic most often asked about within marine biology is research involving marine mammals, including cetaceans--whales and dolphins--and pinnipeds--sea lions, seals and walruses.

The reality is that research jobs involving marine mammals are extremely hard to come by for a number of reasons, including the popularity of the field, the fact that working with marine mammals is highly regulated--most research is done using tissue samples of sick, stranded or dead animals and not on live, healthy animals, and because funding is very competitive.

In all, the Marine Science Club has many opportunities that vary depending on what field a student would like to pursue. But it’s also a fun and active way to participate in your community and in the environment and have friends alongside with you.

Restaurant Blues

Chloe Hart '17

Krystin Langer '17

Victoria Gowan '17

Christina Spillman '17

STAFF WRITERS

Restaurants are not only for a place to enjoy something to eat alone, or with friends or family, but they are also a place to learn. Restaurants of all types

were chosen when we asked, “What is your favorite place to eat?”

There is quite the array of restaurants here in this old town of Sarasota--places ranging from European to Asian dishes. Ethnic food stops are amazing places to try new foods from other cultures and countries.

Students were asked to pick a specific restaurant, and by the choice, the type of restaurant was chosen. Students were also asked if they had any specific ethnic restaurants they enjoyed, like Chinese or Greek food.

Many of the students picked any Chinese restaurant as their favorite. China Taste was the particular restaurant when asked to specify. Other students enjoyed Italiann restaurants, like Demetrio’s or Carrabba’s.

Helen Zarling ’17 added a comment about her favorite restaurant, Angelo’s. “Angelo’s has the best turkey and cheese subs in town,” she said.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few Greek restaurants in town, however no student picked one of these as his or her favorite.

American restaurants were the second favorite among students, like Millie’s and Chic-fil-A. Other fast food stops were also chosen, like Chipotle and Taco Bell.

“The little hole in the wall sushi restaurant, Goichi’s, is my favorite. It’s such a cute little restaurant.” Avery Hart ’17 said about the Japanese restaurant on Bee Ridge.

Not only can you enjoy foods from other cultures, you can learn about them as well. Gateway to India is a fascinating restaurant that really immerses you in culture of India.

“Indian food has many flavors and spices, so it’s really worth a try,” Amelia Weber ’17 said. Weber also stated how cozy the restaurant is.

So next time you visit a restaurant and you are waiting for that yummy meal, observe the place around you--it might have more culture than you think.

Restaurants have a lot to show on their walls, and you never know what you could learn by looking. You can learn about the traditions of whoever created that restaurant, and that’s the most important thing about going--learning.

Tartan Runs Like A Business

Raina Brock '18

Montana Moore '15

Miya Vidales '18

STAFF WRITERS

Tartan [yearbook] class is taught by Dr. Carrie DeZutter. The class of 30 kids learns all the aspects of putting a yearbook together from the layout, design, coordinating pictures, editing, selling ads, and fundraising.

“I love watching the class come together as a team,” said DeZutter about her staff of students.

The 288 pages is developed entirely by these kids. In the classroom, they practice photography, Photoshop, technology, and writing skills. The yearbook takes seven months to develop from the start of school to the end of February.

DeZutter explains the class is hands on, and “it’s like running a $70,000 business.” Each student is assigned a page that they work and develop for the year. Joining this class you will experience: Motivational Monday, Tartan Tuesday, Writing Wednesday, Technology Thursday, and Fantastic Friday.

DeZutter has been teaching the yearbook class for five years at Riverview, and she loves it. Her favorite part of yearbook club is the day the books are received and she sees the look of pride and accomplishment in her students’ faces.

Whether you want to join yearbook for the fun experience with friends, or to look back in 30 years and be able to say you help developed that yearbook, this class is one of the best offered here at Riverview!

Farm to Fridge: The Local Way

Darby Adams '15

Thea Ezechiels '18

STAFF WRITERS

After a long work week, weekends are a great opportunities to relax and experience new things. For as long as almost anyone can remember, the local farmers’ market in downtown Sarasota has always been a great way to spend one’s Saturday morning.

Regardless of the weather, every Saturday morning at 7 a.m., more than 70 vendors set up their stations to sell anything from fresh produce to candles. Thousands of people shuffle through the market throughout the day with hopes of finding the freshest tomatoes or the tastiest dog treats for their favorite pooch.

“Every Saturday I come to the farmers market to purchase my fruits and vegetables for the week; there is something about this specific brand of produce that makes it impossible to enjoy any other,” one local shopper, Amy George, said.

If one is not looking to buy any products, there are food trucks set up to sell the most delicious meals ever tasted. One popular selection is the lobster roll from Maggie’s Seafood.

“The lobster roll is the only reason why I come here every Saturday. With ingredients that are always fresh and never frozen, after the first bite, the eater is in love,” John Goodman said after he finished his lobster roll.

Aside from the variety of products, there is always live music that gets people interested in the farmers’ market. On the corner of Main Street, where Mattison’s Grill is located, a smooth jazz band plays as locals dance to the rhythm. Not much farther down the street is a young girl who plays the violin at major events. Her booth at the farmers’ market is a great way of advertising. Jeffrey Kelly, a retired music teacher who was at the market, complimented her talent.

“This child has a gift; I would not be surprised if she is joins the National Symphony Orchestra and graduates from Julliard,” he said.

With such a wide selection of things to purchase, the Sarasota Farmers Market is an excellent way to spend a Saturday.

Academic Olympics competes again

Cole Gamble '16

Jessica Sudol '18

Sophia Winiecki '18

UPLOADED NOV. 21, 2014

STAFF WRITERS

Pump promotes school spirit

Adrianna Fernandez '15

STAFF WRITER

Riverview has its
very own support system for future events and sport games known as
Pump. Pump is sponsored by Sheila Bliss who lets the officers of
the club—Allison Ruzbacki, Isabella Palmeira and Malia Pere—to come up
with the ideas that contribute to the organizations and
sports games they attend.

Riverview has always
been a school geared to promote school spirit. Pump is a
club that gives the students easy access and opportunities for showing their school
spirit. The purpose of Pump is to bring publicity to
all school events by getting students to
attend games and gatherings, which as a result, brings in more money
for the club, team,or organization.

“Our club supports
all under-attended sports functions where some
representatives will go to games to pump up the school spirit when it’s lacking,” There are also festivities that take
place before the games such as tailgates and
body painting.

Along with attending sports
games, the members of the club also participate in fundraisers to raise
money for school events and organizations.

Another interesting and
heartfelt aspect of this club, is that their club shirts are blue,
in honor of Terri Rawls, the cheerleader who passed away earlier

this
year, because it was her favorite color.

Pump
meets Mondays right after school in Bliss’ room 5-113,
but leaders also have a modernized way of contacting their members through
their twitter page @rhspumpclub about upcoming events and games.

Currently
there are about 20 students in the core pump and 40 people
show up at tailgates to promote their Ram pride.

Chess gained popularity during
Cold War era

Hallie Abel ’18

Sandra Dickson ’17

Lewis Ferrier ’17

Daria Salih'17

STAFF WRITERS

One
of the most popular clubs on campus is Chess Club, with more 110 members.

In
this club, members get the opportunity to participate in tournaments against
each other and other schools.

Different
forms of chess have been around for thousands of years and became extremely popular
during the Cold War, when it became a political matter rather than just a game.
In the 60s, USA player Bobby Fischer defeated grand masters around the world.

After
that, the game of chess of rose to popularity throughout the world for kids and
adults of all ages. This famous chess player brought chess to the
spotlight and also inspired many high schools and communities to start chess.

The
Riverview chess club participates in tournaments within the club and
in tournaments against other schools and players in the community. It is
great for bringing people together and meeting friends from different places
around the world and with
different backgrounds.

With the age of technology, online chess has become extremely
popular in the chess world and allows players to meet people all over the world extremely easily and
quickly.

Members
suggest joining the Chess Club even if you don’t know how to play. Students in
the club will teach you to enjoy a game that can be played for a lifetime.

National Honor Society helps the community

Elysa '18

Donal '18

Adriana '15

Samantha '18

STAFF WRITERS

The National Honor Society (NHS) is
designed to accept students with well-rounded character values, as well as high
academic standards. Riverview’s NHS chapter consists of 130 students, where
they are only admitted if they have 3.7-weighted cumulative GPA, and a 3.3 unweight
GPA. The typical student admitted into NHS demonstrates qualities such as scholarship, leadership, character and
service, according to Dr. Norine Eckstrom, sponsor.

NHS teaches its members values in
society by performing monthly donation tasks, where the students collect food,
toys or other items that are specified for each “donation drive.” The program
that the national honor society is supporting this month is the Cyesis Outreach
Program.” This program is designed by teenage students to help other teenage
students who are in the difficult situation of being mothers while in high school.

Zoe Baglini, co-president of the
program said the purpose of their program is to help the mothers financially by
giving them things that sometimes their children have to go without. Baglini,
along with four other students, said by donating simple items to the program
such as cleaning supplies, baby clothes, and children’s toys, a big difference
can be made in the children’s and mothers lives.

“With the holiday season coming up,
a Christmas drive is the perfect idea for the program,” she said.

“We intend to collect items that
are on the children’s wish lists, and then wrap them up and deliver them the
last day of school before break, so that their

Christmases will be just a
little bit more special,” Adriana Fernandez, co- founder of the program, added.

This is just one of many donation
drives that the National Honor Society participates in throughout the year.

“Other donations drives we are
going to participate in is Mayor’s Food Drive throughout the month of November,
tutoring, and ‘Adopt-a-Family’ during Christmas,” Eckstrom said.

Life of Riley Club makes big plans

Courtney Searles '17

Jessica Reck '18

Carly Hogan '16

Bronson Shultis '18

STAFF WRITERS

In June of 2001, Riley Saba was diagnosed with
a brain tumor. She was a courageous, healthy, happy and beautiful 7-year-old
girl, and it is her sister Ansley who hopes a cure will save children like her
one day. Riverview High school’s Life of
Riley Foundation (LORF) promotes awareness about pediatric brain tumors and
raises money for a cure. They also provide support and a voice for families
whose children live with these tumors.

Riverview’s Life
of Riley Foundation is planning to do many events this year to help raise
awareness. Ansley Saba-president and Morgan Johnson-vice president, founders of
the club, brought the foundation to Riverview because they believed “it was
such an important issue, and it had a personal value to Ansley,” said Johnson.

In December, the club is voluntarily going to
Southside Village, to engage in a holiday stroll to thank their sponsors.
Already this year, they have made over 200 cards that were written and sent to
children who have pediatric brain tumors. Club members spent a chunk of their
own time coloring and making these cards after school.

“The members help come up with ideas for
fundraisers, designs for club tees, and make cards for patients to keep their
spirits up,” Johnson said.

They also have had fundraisers for a 3 year-old
named Cooper Vollmer. Cooper lives in Sarasota and is fighting brain cancer.
LORF had a fundraiser at Yogurtology last year to raise money that went towards
Cooper. They raised over $1,300 that went straight to Cooper.

LORF
is a great club with a great cause. Everyone is working together to find a cure
for children with pediatric brain tumors. Club meetings are in Barbara
Oliveros’ room on Thursdays when announced.

Spanish
classes plan for service week in Costa Rica

Mareisa
Madden ’18

Grace Valtz
’15

Brooke
Taylor ’17

Nick Miller
’17

STAFF WRITERS

Looking for an adventure in another
land? Fortunately for you, the Spanish teachers at Riverview High are
organizing a trip to Costa Rica over this Spring break!

On March
7-14, 2015, Spanish students have an opportunity to travel to Heredia, Costa
Rica. The expense for the endeavor is approximately $2,295. This is a fun way
to earn up to 25 hours of community service hours and get the extraordinary
opportunity to experience the vibrant Costa Rican culture.

More
specifically, students will be living with a local family with about two other
students. The residents that the students are placed in are assigned through
the ISA High School Organization. The
trip is more broadly organized by ISA High School. ISA High School partners
with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Organization (CRHF). CRHF leads over 50
volunteer-supported projects throughout Costa Rica.

ISA is a non-profit organization,
and they “aim to create a better quality of life for the segments of society
that face the greatest challenges.” Past projects include helping victims of
domestic violence, the impoverished, at-risk youth, the indigenous community,
and those with special needs. CRHF leads over 50 volunteer-supported projects
throughout Costa Rica.

For
the length of this trip, students will have the opportunity to get involved in
a foreign culture and learn more about the Tico lifestyle. Also, they will get
involved in the community by doing things like pouring cement and helping build
new schools for the less fortunate children. In addition to helping the
community, this endeavor allows students to learn how to dance the Salsa, paint
murals, and even go zip lining!

Teachers
encourage students to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Anyone
would like to learn more about how to sign up should contact Tom DiNatale, go
to studiesabroad.com/hs, or call (512) 474-1041.

Coach Kevin Fitzgerald

Max
Kleiber

Caitlin O’Keefe

Christine Jagannath

Trinity Welch

STAFF WRITERS

Students all know who Coach Fitz is. He’s the HOPE teacher
that you see at the football, or basketball games or in the gym during your gym
period. Coach Fitz is a great guy and a great teacher. If you have or had him,
then lucky you. He was a part of our school a long time ago, and he is a big
part of it now. Virtually everyone knows the man named Coach Fitz, but do you
know anything about him?

Teaching is an important but stressful job.
Just ask any teacher. So why does he do it? He likes kids.

“I think I get along with them
better,” he said. He says that he likes kids and loves teaching.

Of all of the subjects, why
HOPE? There are history, science, math and English, but he picks HOPE.

“I like it, and I think it is
an important class.” After some thought, he added, “I do it because kids need
to learn it, and no one else wants to teach it.”

For his students, he is an open
book. He tells everyone everything that he thinks they need to know, and when
the timing is right.

On the subject of “spare time,”
Fitz cracks a smile.

“What’s that?” he said and went
on, “I like to read books and listen to my music, and I enjoy TV and sports.”

Coach Fitz has been a part of
Riverview for a very long time. He once was a Ram student. He was a member of
the Kiltie Band.

What is his favorite thing
about Riverview?

“Working with kids is my
favorite thing about Riverview,” he said without any hesitation.

Riverview is a part of his life
and a part of him, but he noted that things for high schoolers have changed.

“So much more pressure is on
the kids, and there is less fun now than back then,” he said. “So much more
pressure from everywhere. It’s tough to be a kid nowadays.”

Executive
Internship lets seniors observe careers

Kiah Evans ’17

Kendall Braz ’17

STAFF WRITERS

Executive Internship is a program for seniors who want to try
to figure out what their career path is. They get a chance to be in the
professional environment that they choose.

“I think it looks well on college applications simply because
it gives students the opportunity to get out with community members and really
see what a specific profession is about,” said Dr. Carrie DeZutter, leader of
the executive Internship club.

This club is good for students because once they go out and
experience the opportunity they all come back as a group to discuss their
experiences. They either discuss how great the opportunity was and how they are
so lucky they did it, or in some cases, they discuss how it gives students the
chance to realize that they didn’t really want to work in the profession area
they first chose.

In the executive internship program, there are about 70
students. Also there is a side program called Star-to-Starfish, and there are
about 20-22 students involved.

The interns have some fundraisers coming up.

“At the end of the year this club has a banquet for the
sponsors who have helped them throughout the year. There aren’t many outside
events that happen with this club,” if we didn’t raise money,” said DeZutter.

Students are broken into “career clusters,” based on what
they want to do, such as medicine, engineering and business. This gives them a
chance to take to each other on a more professional level , determining what they
have in common and what they don’t. This also improves their professional
vocabulary and “expands the horizons,” according to DeZutter.

This program is recommended for all seniors.

“I think that it should be mandatory,” said DeZutter. It’s
too bad that it’s only an elective and not an actual class you have to take,”
she added.

This is a tough program for a lot of students because they
must meet deadlines and be motivated about what they want to do, because
according to DeZutter, it is a transitional place from high school to the work
place.

Kilties are a family on and off the field

Brittany
Rojas ’18

Andrew
Pawling ’18

Jamie
Ribeiro ’18

STAFF WRITERS

Here at Riverview everyone has heard the Kiltie Band play.
They put on an electric halftime show at Varsity football games and have performed
in places all around the world.

On Oct. 25, the Kilties took their fifty-seventh consecutive
superior rating at the Florida Bandmasters Association Music Performance
Assessment. In order to perform so well as a group, the Kilties form strong
family-like bonds. Individual classes also practice every day together during
school, and the band practices as a whole twice a week.

After all of those hours together, it is easy to get
comfortable around each other.

“You just end up spending a lot of time with the people in the
band, so what made it fun is that you always had that big group that was like a
big family,” said Kiltie alumna and current Riverview physics and engineering
teacher Maureen Finley.

A section can have
students of any grade level. This helps make
the transition into our school a lot easier for freshmen and new students. Jim
Patten, a father of two current Kilties, Clancy and Emma Patten, is grateful
for the combined classes.

“The older students were great with helping my kids with
homework and finding their way around.” The school can be a big, scary place for new students, and participating
in the Kiltie band camp during the summer allows them to see a familiar face on
their first day. Also, it is easy for a
freshman to get help with homework from an older student.

While the students are playing on the field at football
games, their parents are bonding in the stands. According to Patten “the
Kilties and their parents are now like a big family. Full of new friends for everyone.”

Although being in the Kilties requires hard work and
dedication, in the end, it is an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Yoga club melts away the stress of a school day

Roger Main

Jenna Holmes

Jaime Velez

STAFF WRITERS

You walk into Rm. 335 in Building 5. Unrolling a mat onto the floor, you
start doing yoga. All the stress from this past week melts away, leaving you in
complete serenity. Downward dog, warrior one, and warrior three are just a few
of the poses you do in the short 30 minutes that you wish were an eternity.
After sinking down into your mat in Shavasana, you reluctantly roll up your
colorful mat. Putting it back on Tammy Detota’s shelf, you leave your mat until
the next session. As you leave you know that all the stress you once had is gone.

For a couple of years now, students
have been attending Yoga Club for relaxation and meditation.

The club doesn’t just do Yoga,
sometimes a special guest and friend of Mrs. Detota’s comes and leads the group
in a core workout.

Each year, lots of
new people join. There’s a healthy mix among freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.
This year, some of the freshman football players have been attending the Yoga
Club, too. There are many reasons why they would join this club—from having a
long day at school, to just relaxing and having a good time.

One of the students who joins in yoga is
Leslie Howard. Howard said that it “helps her relax from a long day at IB.”

She decided to join the Yoga Club
because her friends made her go. At first she was reluctant, but after one
session, she was in love. Yoga might be all about relaxing, but the Yoga Club
decided to put a little twist and add core workouts directed by a guest or by
Detota.

Any students who are looking for a good, healthy way of staying
stress-free should consider the Yoga Club and become one of the many people
that are proud of calling themselves “Yogis.”

International Cuisine Club offers a taste of culture

Paul-Stephen Hutchinson-Multaahatti '18

Blair Thompson '15

Hannah Riley '16

STAFF WRITERS

Have
you ever wanted to just show up somewhere and eat delicious international foods?
Well now you can—at the meetings of the International
Cuisine Club Thursdays after school.

This group meets either in Donna
Cahoone’s classroom (5-241) or in the upstairs pavilion above the cafeteria. The club is led by Darby Adams ’15—
president, Charlie Zimmerman ’15—vice president and Treasurer Shelby Adams ’18.
Students pay a basic $15 for dues which
include a club t-shirt.

These dues allow members to eat unlimited
amounts of food from different places around the world—the basic purpose of the
club. Members also watch a quick slide
show in which Darby Adams speaks about the significance of where the food originates
and why it is being served. This
exquisite club accepts attendance from all students who want to attend these
meetings and learn about international foods.

One of the most attractive options
about the International Cuisine Club is that it’s an extracurricular activity. This membership may be considered on any
college application a student may fill out now or in the future. Colleges look for well-rounded students, and
attending this club gives them this valuable criterion.

At a regular meeting known as the
informational meetings, members all sign-in on an attendance sheet, enjoy a delicious
treat from said country, socialize with friends, and observe a slide show to
learn about the country chosen. This
slide show goes over basic facts about the country as well as food that originates
from the specific country. In the eating
meetings, there is a full meal where students enjoy appetizers, entrees, and
desserts. To attend these eating meetings, it is a requirement to have
attending the informational meeting the week before. Donations of $2 to cover
the cost food is greatly appreciated.

Bliss,
Lamboley and Lyons known for student-friendly classrooms

Richelle Miller ’18

Amelie Kliessling ’18

Renato Pereira ’18

STAFF WRITERS

Riverview teachers each have their own unique personalities
and achievements. Our teachers are
fascinating, and each has his or her own special stories to tell. This week we have the privilege of
interviewing a few of our amazing teachers and getting to know their interests
and hobbies outside of Riverview. We also got a glimpse of their proudest
accomplishments.

In a brief interview with Sheila Bliss, one of the most decorative
English teachers, it was discovered that her hobbies include cleaning and
decorating her new house, playing with her cats and running—“especially across
the downtown bridge.” Spending time with her family and friends is very
important to Bliss. She loves going out to dinner, and her favorite restaurant
is Outback Steakhouse—“I love steak” said Bliss. She loves to watch baseball, basketball and
college football on television as well as attending USF football games in
person, for which she has season tickets. Although she attended UCF, she still finds excitement is rooting for
“Rocky the Bull” at USF. Her
achievements include receiving her master’s degree in her second year of
teaching, being bilingual and having taught Spanish and English.

“I like to think that I make an impact on my students
because I know they make an impact on me,” she said.

Another highly-liked teacher at Riverview is Denise Lamboley.
She began her teaching career at Riverview, moved on to Cyesis in Sarasota
County and then returned to Riverview teaching math. Her hobbies include traveling, baseball,
gardening, cooking and spending time with her family. She was teacher of the year in 2009 at Cyesis
and believes that “having strong relationships with her students are worth more
than any award she could be given,” said Lamboley.

The last teacher is Judy Lyon, an art teacher at Riverview
who loves everything about art. Besides teaching students art at Riverview, Lyon
teaches art within her community and has her own art studio. She is most proud of being able to write
proposals for special projects and being given grants to allow students the
opportunity to explore the art world. Lyon has her master’s in guidance counseling
and has a certificate in art and healing that she received from Ringling
College. When she is not teaching at
Riverview, Lyon enjoys Yoga, taking walks with her two Australian shepherds and
playing frisbee with them, and exercising at the gym “which makes me feel good,”
said Lyon. She also likes watching football with her husband and son.

Clearly, each of these teachers has one important thing in
common which is that they are all well-respected teachers. That being said,
once they leave the walls of Riverview High, each one of them is unique and has
fascinating hobbies.

International Cuisine Club

Juliette Chero ’16

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Starting a club can be a
stressful process that requires persistence and patience. A new club has
recently arose and has automatically become a ram's favorite. The International
Cuisine club might be new but it’s capturing everyone's attention.

With a room packed with hungry
teenage students waiting to get fed is exactly what this club is asking for.
President Darby Adams' 15 started this club in hopes to bring together
different students with a same common love for food.

"Everyone loves those
parties that usually the Spanish teachers throw, bringing in all different
types of Latin food. I thought to myself how awesome would it be to do exactly
that but with different countries." says Adams.

Throughout the year the club will
try to expand its boarders to new and exotic places such as Russia, Egypt,
Italy and so many more. There will usually be a meeting before actually picking
the county to come up with an agreement on what exactly everyone might try.

"The Club is held in room
5-241 and meetings are periodically, but always on Thursdays. We will have two
meeting in a row that will cover the picking of a new country and then the
actual eating meeting." says Adams

Even though the best part of the
club is the eating aspect, it most definitely is not the only thing it offers.
Community services opportunities are provided such as helping out and serving
in the soup kitchen. Fundraisers will be occurring throughout the year and most
of the money collected will not only benefit the club but will be donated to
All Faiths Food Bank.

The first country the club
covered was Mexico, bringing in tortilla chips with guacamole, salsa, and
delicious melted cheese. While everyone was enjoying their food they were
learning about some interesting facts about the beautiful country.

The club has raised $800 worth of
sponsors, which means that every meeting held has been helped out by generous
donors. Dues are $15 that also includes a shirt. Anyone is welcomed to walk in
and enjoy some tasty and authentic cuisine.

Italian Club

Jazmin Giovino ’17

STAFF WRITER

With so much going on and the
huge variety of clubs, it’s easy to miss any one. Italian club here at
Riverview is now back up and running.

Italian club is new to
Riverview this year, but has previously been a club in past years. For some
reason, the club was stopped for a couple of years but once

Alessandro Giannini
17’, a true Italian with both parents of Italian decent, found out about this
club he made it his goal to revive it.

Giannini is the president of
the club, Marina Mazzarantani 17’ is the vice president, Danielle Kuzel 17’ is
the secretary, and Peter Nwokgeji 18’ is the treasurer.

“I wanted to bring the club
back and be president of the Italian club because I wanted to share my knowledge
and love of the Italian culture with my classmates.” Said Giannini.

Each club meeting is held
every Friday in room 5-334 and many different activities are held at each
meeting. Meetings can consist of singing Italian songs, learning the Italian language,
watching Italian movies, eating Italian treats, and many more activities
similar to these.

Mrs. Coughlin is the club
coordinator and sponsor for the Italian club. She also shares a passion for
Italian culture and has visited Italy many times and is even has citizenship
there. Coughlin is fluent in the Italian language and is always teething new
Italian vocabulary.

“Italian club is always so fun and I’m glad it’s a club here at
Riverview. I always know that every Friday I’ll be learning part of this
language and of course enjoying some delicious treats that I’ve never tried
before!” Said Cana Danys.

Photography
Club

Daniela
Martinez ’17

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

With
over a hundred clubs at Riverview it’s hard to choose one that’s right for you.
If you enjoy photography, making new friends and sharing your creativity with
others, Photography club is the right choice for you!

Because Riverview has so many clubs, it can be difficult to create one that
stands out and brings new members, President Michelle Barron along with Vice
President Vincent Scotese, Historian Ashley Ehlers, Secretary Maia Plucinski
and Treasurer Michael Groves had no problem creating this unique club.

“I thought about twenty people were going to show up but we got a much larger
turn out than I expected!” Said Secretary, Maia Pluncinski.

The goal for the club consist of making new friends and sharing a love for
photography together as a club, communicating through what they love and enjoy
doing. Although the club has not set up any big events yet, they have come up
with many different ideas for fundraising money to go towards the club like an
art gallery made up of photographs taken by members of the club.

“We are hoping the club turns into a relaxed environment where everyone can
basically be themselves without fear of criticism or judgment.” Said Barron.

The club is different to other clubs around the RHS campus because all the
members have an experience at expressing themselves through their original art
work and getting feedback from others who share the same interest.

President Michelle Barron created the club because she has always enjoyed
photography and thought it’d be a great idea to create a community where each
individual can share their own work, meet others with the same passion, and
develop skills brought to the table by other members. Her goal is to strengthen
each other’s photography skills as well as confidence and friend circles.

“I am on the board with some of the most wonderful people and it's truly
amazing to see how many other people share my interest in photography. I can't
wait to see what this year brings us!” Said Plucinski.

Incoming Fall Fashion

Laurel De Luca '16

STAFF WRITER

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, everyone starts
pulling out their sweaters, boots, and leggings. If we weren’t in Florida, that
might be the case.

However, people still tend to change their style in
transition to fall. With air conditioning on full blast, you can still get away
with a light sweater and boots, you just might die when you step outside.

With every changing season, people always get excited to change up
their outfits and shop the stores for their new releases. It’s easy to spot the
dramatic change in stores as soon as fall peaks; shorts start getting harder to
find, flip flops disappear as boots, pants, sweaters, and long sleeves make
their way onto display.

It’s not just fall fashion that appears, but winter as
well, and after being in months of the same clothes, people can’t help but have
the urge to splurge on what they’ve missed for so long: sweatshirts, leggings,
and boots.

So what are some of the fall clothes everyone tends to go crazy
for? Depending on a person’s style, it may be different. Some people look
forward to the colder weather as an excuse to bundle up in sweatpants and a
sweatshirt or leggings, for girls. Others tend to look forward to cardigans and
combat boots.

Whatever it may be, it’s easy to feel comfortable in jeans and a
long sleeve top over shorts that constantly ride up.

For those who are on a budget but still want to change up their
wardrobe for fall, there’s a few tips you can follow. By getting some simple
clothing items like a cardigan, sweater, and a pair of boots, you’ll be ready
for fall without spending a fortune on a new wardrobe.

A cardigan always comes in handy, it’s an easy go-to if ever dress
coded because you don’t have to cover up your top, only your arms. I recommend
buying one in a solid color like black or white so that it goes with most of
your clothes and you can wear it with any summer top.

If you invest in a
sweater, and I say invest lightly because stores like Tobi, Forever21, and
H&M make sweaters more affordable than most; you can pair it with any dress
and make it look like you paired a sweater with a skirt.

Boots are always a necessity for fall, and go with so many outfits
so if you go over a little more than you had wanted to spend, just remember how
much use you’ll put them to pairing them with skirts, dresses, jeans, leggings,
and so on.

If you’re looking forward to getting out of shorts and changing
your wardrobe up for fall, remember those few tips and you’ll have plenty of
outfits to choose from not only for fall, but winter as well.

You know its Fall when....

Natalie Raszka '17

STAFF WRITER

Fall colors? Nope

As all Floridians do, we go get the stick on fall decals from a
craft store for our windows to get the fall feeling.

“I don’t think there has been a year at my house when my mom
doesn’t put them on the sliding glass doors “said Zach Jekonski ’17

Fall weather? Not so much.

With it being fall and all Floridians expect the weather to go down
everyone tries to turn off the AC and open the windows for the cold air to come
in. The key word is tries, the Florida weather is a tease the mornings are cold
then it turns into sweaty afternoons.

“I always feel the weather when I get ready for school and put on a
pair of jeans, then in less than an hour I wish I was in shorts” said Charlee
Rincon ‘16

Even though the weather is not as expected and the leaves don’t
change color, Florida always becomes fall when everything becomes pumpkin!
Starbucks not only brings out their pumpkin latte this year they have a pumpkin
scone, pumpkin muffin, and pumpkin sugar cookie.

“I go get a pumpkin latte and pumpkin muffin just to get the real
fall feeling” said Abby Kroneberger’17.

You know its fall in Florida when the colors start to change on the
license plates. While driving down the highway you see all northerners home
town on the back of their car. When you go in to a restaurant and have an hour
wait until you eat, with tourist it is a love hate relationship.

“The hour wait in the restaurants is also due to fall football”
said Miles Hudson ‘17

Fall Football is here! Start by rooting for you high school team on
Friday, to watching your college team on Sunday, and it carries into Sunday
where you can watch your favorite NFL team.

Even though in Florida nothing drastically changes, let the
northerners slip on icy sidewalks and spend money on plane tickets to Florida
for the comfortable weather, as for us we have the perfect “fake” fall

Exploding Pumpkins with Chemistry

Victoria Gowan ’17

Krystin Langer ’17

Chloe Hart ’17

Christina Spillman ’17

STAFF WRITERS

On Oct. 31, a couple of science classes at Riverview High
used the Halloween spirit for some explosive fun. Pre-IB sophomore chemistry
teacher Chad Smith spent his third period class exploding the most well known
symbol for Halloween—the pumpkin.

A chemical formula was created to
implode within the pumpkin, causing the pre-carved pieces to shoot out and
reveal the image a student had carved. Mr. Smith used Hydrogen and a match to
blow up the carved pieces. Other elements, such as Calcium Carbide, Hydrogen
peroxide, and water were used to aid the explosion. It’s quite amazing how just
a few elements can create such an explosive reaction.

Two students interviewed enjoyed this exciting way to
celebrate the
spookiest day of the year.

“This was a really good way to celebrate Halloween,” Emma
Meadows ’17 said about the lab, though only a few pumpkins were actually
blasted, because of time difficulties.

Rose Adams ’17 said it was “fun and exciting” to be using
pumpkins for explosions. “I didn’t know what to expect,” she added.

Smith said he has done this experiment for “quite some time.”
Christina Spillman ’17, a student in Mr. Smith’s Chemistry class, said she
enjoys the subject because of all the cool labs that are in the class.

A few other teachers were doing this same experiment, like Katie
Pollifrone, who decided to join in on the Halloween fun. This is certainly a
fun, exciting way to celebrate the scariest time of the year, who doesn’t love
a scare...and a little science?

With 2014’s When in Rome – themed homecoming dance
approaching quickly, students have gotten busy finding a date to take for the
evening at Robart’s Arena.

Coinciding perfectly with the
romantic theme of When in Rome, guys
all across campus have been coming up with some thoughtful (and very creative)
ways to ask their date to homecoming.

One of the most popular
homecoming proposals was thought up by Tim Franck (’17). After the two performed live as the
characters Troy and Gabriella from High School Musical at our very own AirBand,
a message popped up behind the group reading, “Homecoming, Stephanie?” Franck walked out with a bundle of flowers
and was greeted by the stunned Stephanie Peak (’17).

“It took some thought for sure,
but it was totally worth all the effort to see the look on Stephanie’s face when
she saw the screen,” said Franck.

It seems that since freshmen
and sophomores are relatively new to the idea of homecoming, they are more
eager and innovative to propose to someone. However, once they’ve reached their junior and senior years, the
tradition becomes less important and it is more typical to go with a group of
friends or ask their date more simply.

“I’m just going with a group of
my friends, which I think is going to be much more fun and relaxed,” said Chad
Madden (’16).

Jack Martin (’18) also had a
very creative approach to getting Chloe Madden (’17) to attend this year’s
dance with him. Having recently shaving
his head after losing a bet, he decided to pop the question with Sharpie on the
top of his bald head.

“At first he just asked me,
nothing special, so I decided to decline his offer and challenge him be more
creative and see what he’d come up with,” Madden said. “He definitely stepped with a very…
interesting approach!”

Whether it’s flowers,
chocolates, giant teddy bears, or a bald head, students across campus haven’t
failed to come up with crazy and sweet ways to convince their date to join them
at Homecoming 2014.

Be Your Own Fashion Critic

Kori Williams '15

FEATURES EDITOR

Even though it doesn’t feel like it, fall is
right around the corner. So, that means new trends and styles are on the verge
and what better way to get a head start before going shopping than knowing your
figure? The surprising thing that most young women don’t know, is that you can
become any shape you desire with one special tool—silhouette mastering.

The trick to looking great in clothes is all
about the fit of your garments and the confidence you feel in them. Have you
ever worn something you saw on someone else and felt completely uncomfortable
the entire day? It’s because the fit wasn’t proportioned to your natural
silhouette. An excellent fit will allow your clothes to drape your body that
compliments you in the most flattering way.

Each woman has a general shape that falls into
the following four categories. Here are four different looks for each shape to
give you an idea of what will work and give you the ultimate look. Take note
and be honest when knowing your body configurations.

Apple Shapes –Your weight is held
primarily in the midsection of your body. Your legs tend to be smaller and
leaner than your upper body. You want to focus on making sure your waist is
defined to create a more proportionate look. Wrap dresses are a great way to
embody a flattering energy as well as add definition to your midsection
silhouette. R&B songstress Jennifer Hudson, lost over 20 pounds, and she
has configured her wardrobe to her perfect apple shape.

Banana Shape-Your slender physique carries broader shoulders
and a more athletic build. You want to focus on adding layers. Shirts with
ruffles or patterned details will give you the extra boost you need for your
bust area. Textured, colored and patterned skirts or pants will give you the
volume you need on the bottom. Volume to your top and lower half of your body
will create the illusion of natural curves. Breakout model and younger sister
of Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner knows what looks good on her, and is the
perfect example of the banana shape.

Large Busts or Strawberry Shape-Your shoulders are
typically broader than your hip area. In addition, you are typically top heavy.
You want to try to stay away from tops with too high of a neckline—it will make
your bust more noticeable. V-necks and solid color tops are great for your body
type. Similar to the banana shape, strawberry shapes tend to have little hip
definition, so A-line skirts are a must-do when stepping out. The red-head
bombshell Christina Hendricks plays with silhouettes’ a lot on the red carpet.
She is the perfect example of the strawberry shape figure.

Hourglass Shape or Pear Shape-Your
body is evenly proportioned between your shoulders, waist, and hips. The
hourglass shape tends to be the most desired by women

Freshman Board is All Boys

Abby Donnelly '17

STAFF WRITER

Jake
Burnett (President), Mike Van ness (Vice President), Jack Martin (Secretary),
and Ron Saba (Treasurer) are the first to change the dynamics of the Freshman Board
or any of the other class boards by being the first all male officers to be
elected.

The
board sponsors are excited to work with the boys and see how they rise to the
occasion without the input from a female board member.

“This
board, being all boys, will have to ensure that they are using their strengths
to support each other’s weaknesses. The dynamic will certainly be
different as boys and girls tend to have different approaches to how the handle
stress and interpersonal issues,” said Josh Mocherman, senior board sponsor.

Keely
Murphy, freshman board sponsor, says she’s looking forward to the new dynamics
that will characterize the all male board.

“We
have met only once, but I was immediately impressed by their enthusiasm and
perspective,” Murphy said.

Not
only is the board all boys, but they also are apart of Riverview’s football program.

Murphy
considers the combination an asset.

In
the future the boys will be in charge of organizing events such as homecoming,
prom, and Lady Ram. Pat Bliss, journalism teacher and junior board sponsor,
says they will be picking out tiaras, flowers, and many other decorations for
these events.

“If
these boys stay as officers in the class of 2018, they will need to lean on the
other members of their board for support in dealing with events that require a
female’s perspective,” said Mocherman.

Ice Bucket Challenge Soaks Riverview Students

Ellie Falconer '15

STAFF WRITER

This summer, social media was taken by storm with videos of
people voluntarily pouring buckets of ice water onto themselves.

“Every day I would check Instagram and there would be at
least 15 videos on my newsfeed of the ice bucket challenge.” said Jenna Wiles
(17)

Many may ask why so many people, including Riverview
students, would want to torture themselves with freezing water for a video on
social media? The ALS organization is the answer.

The ALS Association is the only national non-profit
organization fighting Lou Gehrigs disease. They build hope and enhance the
quality of life for patients while searching for new treatments and a
cure. The Ice Bucket Challenge was
created by the ALS organization to raise awareness for the disease, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research.

“I believe this challenge is a good way to raise awareness
for ALS and give ALS patients high spirits because people are supporting them,”
said Katarina Saba (15).

The Challenge is for participants to be filmed while having
a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and to nominate other people to do
the same. If you don’t complete the challenge within 24 hours you have to
donate to the ALS association. Many students believe that this is a great way
to spread awareness for the disease and ALS foundation, but some believe
differently.

“I think its cool it just has a lot of flaws in it, because
people don’t always say how its for ALS in the videos and the whole point is to
raise awareness!” said Aimee Grab (15).

Some students also believe that most students at Riverview
only do the challenge to simply fit in.

“I think it’s pointless because you’ll do more good donating
money directly to the organization, most people don’t know what ALS is! Its
just a trend that people are using, I think it’s pointless unless you actually
donate money.” Said Chelsea Meric (15).

Nevertheless, Riverview students do enjoy watching the
videos.

“I think some of the videos are very amusing and I’m glad
they’re doing it for a good cause” said Taylor Kierscht (15)

As of Wednesday of August 27, The ice bucket challenge has
raised $94.3 million dollars.

New students in the halls

Natalie Raszka '17

STAFF WRITER

No matter how
brave one claims to be, starting high school is always one of the biggest fears
any student has.

The classes are
bigger, the students are older, the halls are crammed, and the expectations for
oneself are higher, because after high school everyone’s off to the real world. Students can
only imagine how tough it must have been for the freshmen walking into
Riverview High School on the first day, not knowing what to expect.

New classmates,
new teachers, new classes, new school—everything was going to be different. The
first day for freshmen is obviously the worst, because starting something new
is never easy.

“My biggest fear was not being able to fit
in,” Jefferson Noles '18 said.

But, it was the
classes that worried Joseph Jones '18.

“I was scared
of the work being so much harder and my teachers being really tough,” Jones said.

Charlee Rincon
’18 feared being youngest in the school.

“I was scared of the teachers and the older
students,” she said.

Transitioning
from middle school to high school can be a small step for some but a huge step
for others.

“The biggest difference from middle school was
Riverview’s size and how teachers treat you,” Noles said.

“The amount of
crowds was so different and the time schedule,” Jones added.

Rincon agreed
with Noles, saying the distance to travel was now huge.

“It was crazy walking from the first floor to
the third floor. In middle school, classes were like an inch away,” she said.

A few of
the freshmen were complaining about the size of Riverview. Many hated all the
steps going from the first floor to the third floor, which can seem exhausting,
but others loved the size, giving them the feel for freedom. Everyone at
Riverview has had that time in his or her life when he or she had the fear of
starting high school, but when one looks around, it’s clear that these people
soon adapted to it, and high school was forevermore a part of their lives.

Out With the
New, and In With the Old

Darby Adams ’15

Montana Moore ’15

STAFF WRITERS

While reminiscing through
past years’ Ram Pages, an article was
discovered about a fake wedding on Riverview High
School’s campus held many
years ago. The photographs within the article intrigued our investigative
sides, we had to find out more about the wedding. So we did.

When Riverview
High School was first established in 1958, there was a new concept introduced to
Sarasota County. The concept was titled “The Modern Living Class,” which was fitting since it was a class taught specifically to prepare students for
their future, whether it be in relationships
or in the work force. Students treasured the class, and enjoyed going through simulations of what life could be like in the near future.

According to
the article recounting the wedding, the
pupils were given the power to decide who married, and in this wedding, they decided a set of twins from the class would marry different me at the same time.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen were established while wedding dresses and tuxedos were
fitted to perfection. It was THE event of the year, every year, so why
does Riverview High School no longer offer the Modern Family Living Class? That was the
information we had to uncover, as well as what it would take to bring the class back to our campus.

In an effort to find the cause of the class’s dismissal, we contacted a
teacher known to be well informed about what has happened in past years at this school.

“I
can’t recall the official reason why the Modern Family Living Class was
taken away, but a likely scenario could have been the lack of funds our school system was
receiving. However, I currently teach the modern version of that class called Health Opportunities
through Physical Education. Although there aren’t any fake weddings performed,
students learn how to take care of their bodies and that is an important aspect of
modern living,” said Kevyn Fitzgerald, an alumnus from 1971.

Not everyone seems to agree with Fitzgerald though. After interviewing
students from Fitzgerald’s class, we learned students would much rather have the Modern
Living Class than “HOPE.”
One student was quoted saying “I think that they should offer the Modern Family Living Class because
these immature boys might realize that high school doesn’t last orever, so they need to become more
mature and start preparing for their future,” Sophie Zimmerman ’15 said.

The next step of the investigation was to figure out how we could get
the class back at Riverview High School, now that we knew others were interested in
getting the class back as well. After talking to an assistant principal, we
quickly realized there was no chance of that happening.

“The
class was done away with and replaced by HOPE many years ago. HOPE has become a state requirement. You could encourage your HOPE teachers to do
a simulation such as the ones in the Modern Living Class, but the essential curriculum
would have to have been already completed for the year,” stated Melanie
Dunham. Any hope we had of bringing the class back was diminished.

New and Improved Riverview Men’s Choir

The traditional
Riverview High School choir has made improvements in favor of student’s
progression. This 2014-2015 school year has a brought a new program to all the
men on campus.

In
the past years Riverview has had four choirs that include beginner girls,
advanced ladies, mixed, and chamber. All of the levels except chamber had a
class during the school day, but now men’s choir has been assigned to a new,
separate class.

“With
the new men’s choir it will be an interesting and new year compared to years
prior,” said Paige Galdieri a sophomore in chamber and mixed choir.

In
this new choir there are about sixteen boys ranging from sophomores to seniors.
Some are new to choir this year while the others are returning from mixed choir
either last year or years before that. Even though some students are returning,
the class in general is a beginner class. In a beginner class they learn the
basics of singing and sight-reading.

“My
sister Sarah just graduated and was in choir all four years of high school. She
loved it and I wanted to join last year but the class was too advanced for me
never singing before. This is the perfect opportunity to get involved in this
program,” said Ross Mayper a sophomore in the new choir class.

The
men have a separate class period from all the other choir levels, and it’s held
during 4th period. Extra rehearsals are held after school mostly on
Thursdays, either separately or with the other choirs. In most cases all choirs
perform at the same concert but each choir will have different songs they can
sing by themselves including the new men’s choir.

“I’m
very excited for the new additions to choir this year especially the guys
coming in and the new concert. The concerts will be much more entertaining and
will show off more of Riverview’s singing talent,” said Skylar Leinenweber, a
sophomore in advanced ladies choir.

In
addition to the new men’s choir there is also a new concert that has never been
held before in Riverview choir history. The fall concert is an opportunity to
include new types of music to Riverview’s choir concerts. It will be held on
October 15 in the R-PAC at 6:00 pm.

David Verdoni and Whitney Verdoni, the choir
directors, are trying something new with this fall concert to see what will
happen if the old tradition is changed.

“I think it will be a fun and
interesting new year with all of the changes. Even though it’s a new concert, I
believe it will be fun,” said Verdoni.

Bliss meets ‘Radio’
of football movie fame

Laurel de Luca ’16

STAFF WRITER

A movie can have a
dramatic effect, but when a story is not just a plot directed to turn out a
certain way but rather to tell someone’s life story, it leaves everyone
watching it feeling moved. The movie Radio
is not any typical scripted movie you see in theaters—it’s based on a true
story about the man himself, James Robert Kennedy, who grew from being shy to
becoming an ambassador of good will to his community.

“Radio”
came into the TL Hanna High School family when the school’s football coach
Harold Jones befriended him, a mentally-challenged African American man. By
bringing him onto the football practice field and introducing him to the team,
Coach Jones made Radio become part of the school’s football program and the
school’s history.

“Radio’s
story is one that leaves many feeling inspired to make a change in their lives,
like putting an end to bullying,” said Pat Bliss, who along with her family,
got to meet Radio and Coach Jones this past June.

“My
stepmother went to school with Harold Jones. We were taking her up to South
Carolina for the summer, so she introduced us to Radio and other mutual
friends. We had lunch together and spent the rest of the day with Radio touring
TL Hanna.” Bliss said.

Before
Radio became a fixture at TL Hanna, he would walk by the football field with
his grocery cart as the team and the rest of the town stared at him. Many might
ask what made Coach Jones walk up to Radio that fateful day in 1976, but Jones
says it goes back to a childhood experience he had that made him vow not to
tolerate bullying. When he saw his own team harassing Radio, he walked up to
him and invited him to become part of the day’s workout, which ultimately led
to Radio becoming part of the high school community.

Radio
was soon attending TL Hanna as an honorary junior, and he now considered a
lifetime junior. He gave Bliss and her family—teachers Maureen Finley, Sheila
Bliss and husband Rick—a tour of the school.

“TL
Hanna is very similar to Riverview,” Bliss said, noting that the school had an
IB program also.

Another
thing Bliss found was that Cuba Gooding Jr., who played the part of Radio, did
a perfect job of portraying who Radio really is.

Radio
first earned his nickname when he showed an interest in an old radio that
belonged to Jones’ assistant, Coach Honeycutt. Honeycutt gave him the radio,
and the name stuck.

The
sense of community Radio felt had given him the confidence to feel he belonged
at TL Hanna. Today, the entire campus knows and loves him.

“He’s
always smiling and talking to everyone, and at lunchtime, he’s busy handing out
ketchup and mustards at lunch,” said Bliss.

He
works very closely with the athletic programs, and he and Jones never miss a
football game.

“Westside,
(TL Hanna’s chief rival), they’re going down!” Radio said repeatedly of the
competitor whose colors and mascot, ironically, were maroon and white and Rams. Radio has remained an honorary junior for 40
years.

“I
think being a part of the school community has kept him vital,” said Bliss.

Now in his 60s, Radio tours with Jones in an
outreach program called the
Outdoor Dream Foundation, which campaigns against bullying.